Nature and Restraint

Dian thought for a moment, then took some Pokéblocks, a stick of Candied Hawthorn, and a few Berries from his bag.

"Misdreavus!!"

The moment Misdreavus saw that the little Stantler was about to take her Candied Hawthorn, she grew anxious. She rushed over, gripped Dian's hair, and glared at the little Stantler with wounded eyes.

The little Stantler gave a happy cry and hurried closer to sniff all three kinds of food.

Then the little Stantler noticed Misdreavus staring. After tilting its head and thinking for a moment, it called to her. "Stant, stant."

"Misdreavus?!"

Misdreavus pointed at herself in disbelief.

She blinked, still unable to take in this wonderful news.

The Stantler she had taken for a scheming, cute-on-the-outside-dark-on-the-inside little deer had actually invited her to eat with it.

Lady Misdreavus wiped the nonexistent drool from her mouth and started toward the feast. Halfway there, though, she stopped.

No. Wait.

Lady Misdreavus patted her cheeks. How could I accept food handed out like charity?!

But...

She stared at the Candied Hawthorn as if her whole life depended on it. If it had been the same old kind, she would have grown tired of it long ago.

But Dian had anticipated that. He deliberately made each stick look much the same, sometimes even using similarly shaped Berries to create the illusion that they were identical. The flavors, however, were completely different.

So Misdreavus was not so much drawn by the taste as she was fighting her own nature.

That was what Dian was trying to change, little by little. Curiosity was a wonderful instinct when it came to learning, but sometimes it could work against her.

During the battle with Alina's Eevee, for instance, Misdreavus could easily have avoided Ominous Eye. Her powerful curiosity was precisely why she had fallen for it.

Only afterward had Dian noticed that his Misdreavus had this flaw—if it could even be called one. Overlooking it had been his mistake.

Every battle, every experience, was a rare chance for both Pokémon and Trainer to grow.

Dian had not started out as a perfect Trainer, either. He was growing alongside his Pokémon.

This was one reason wild Pokémon often fell short of a Trainer's Pokémon. A creature's own shortcomings were the hardest to see; an outsider had a clearer view.

Wild Pokémon had companions too, but neither their perspective nor the attention they gave one another could compare with that of a capable Trainer.

Take the Great Detective, Officer Jenny. If she had not known her Jumpluff so well, how could she have thought to use Cotton Spore—a move meant to slow an opponent—to reveal footprints?

And if Weather Forecaster Azisa had not understood Hoppip so deeply, how could she have thought to use that tiny spirit of the wind to measure wind speed?

Such simple insights were proof that Trainers and Pokémon improved together. They were worth taking to heart.

"Stant?"

Stantler glanced at Misdreavus's strange expression, unable to tell what was wrong with her.

Eating was supposed to make you happy. Why was she so torn?

Then again, the little Stantler was still young and had not experienced much. That was why it had approached Dian and the others so easily.

The lure of good food was part of it. Its instincts also told it that this group meant no harm.

The innocent little Stantler soon gave up trying to understand and started eating the Pokéblocks.

"Stant!"

Tasting such delicious food again, it cried out in delight.

Dian noticed at once that the little Stantler had chosen the Pokéblocks first. He raised an eyebrow.

It might not be shy around strangers, but it still had the usual caution.

He had expected it to try the Berries first and only then decide whether to eat the Pokéblocks.

Avoiding unfamiliar food ought to be a survival instinct.

The Stantler must have eaten Pokéblocks somewhere before. It had remembered their scent and followed him here because of it.

But how had Pokéblocks ended up deep in these mountains?

"Stant~"

The little Stantler looked delighted as it ate. Its large ears kept twitching, and the eye-shaped antlers on its head began to release a pink mist.

Wait. Pink mist?

Dian's expression changed at once. But aside from a few illusory Stantler appearing around them, nothing happened.

By then, Lady Misdreavus seemed to have made up her mind. She tugged at Dian's hair and looked at him pitifully. "Misdreavus..."

She looked like a mistreated child worker hoping her unscrupulous boss might show a scrap of conscience.

Dian sighed outwardly, though inside he was pleased.

Doing this meant Lady Misdreavus had made another effort to overcome her curiosity.

He generously took out a stick of Candied Hawthorn to give her, only for Misdreavus to shake her head. She pointed at the Pokéblocks the little Stantler was eating. Those were what she wanted.

"Normal-type Pokéblocks?"

Dian was puzzled, but he gave Misdreavus some anyway.

After taking them, Misdreavus extended a Black Shadow and tapped the little Stantler.

"Stant?"

The little Stantler looked up from its feast in confusion, its brown mouth stuffed full. A Pokéblock even fell off its nose.

Then it saw Misdreavus holding a pile of Pokéblocks.

"Stant!"

The little Stantler bounced happily a couple of times and moved to nuzzle Misdreavus.

Misdreavus hurriedly waved it off, then pointed at the Candied Hawthorn on the ground. "Misdreavus, misdreavus."

"Stant?"

The little Stantler tilted its head. It had already invited Misdreavus to eat, so why was she insisting on giving it a pile of Pokéblocks? But a moment later, it brightened. "Stant!"

It nodded, lay back down, and continued its meal.

Misdreavus was delighted. Somehow, she felt much lighter, as though she had broken free of some restraint.

She quickly set the Pokéblocks beside the little Stantler, picked up the Candied Hawthorn from the picnic cloth, and began to savor it.

And savor it she did. Misdreavus held the Candied Hawthorn like a treasure, studying it solemnly before sniffing and licking it with complete concentration.

Only then did she begin eating in tiny bites. To make sure none went to waste, she even spread a black net beneath herself.